Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Blog

Add the PWI Blog to Your Google Homepage

Monday, June 22, 2015

Shortly, we will be removing the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Blog, which has been relatively inactive for a while now. I want to thank those of you who have read the blogs over the years, and also those who have contributed as writers or responders.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Since my last PWI blog entry, the main event picture of WWE has slowly morphed into a state of chaos. After a memorable championship win at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan seemed poised to be the face of the company for the rest of 2014. Then, a particularly untimely injury forced Bryan to vacate the WWE World heavyweight championship back in June. John Cena won the vacant title at Money in the Bank, only to lose it in a lopsided match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Seth Rollins interfered in Cena’s guaranteed rematch at Night of Champions, costing him the belt in a controversial disqualification finish. Cena’s attention quickly shifted to Rollins, who was already embroiled in a bitter rivalry with Dean Ambrose. Now, Ambrose – who was recently sidelined for five weeks by Rollins – is set to face Cena for the mere right to pummel Rollins at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Ambrose is quickly becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE, which should be of concern to his former Shield teammate, the currently incapacitated Roman Reigns.

When Brock Lesnar so decisively won the WWE world title from Cena at SummerSlam, talk quickly centered around just who would be able to unseat him as champion. With Lesnar only contracted to appear for WWE on a limited basis, he would be able to spend most of his time training – making himself into an even more formidable opponent than he already was. Many observers predicted that Reigns, who seemed poised to dominate in singles competition, could be the man to take down Lesnar. With size, strength, and charisma in spades, Reigns would ride a wave of fan adulation to the top of company, eventually taking down Lesnar sometime in 2015. Or so it seemed, anyway.

As Daniel Bryan found out earlier in the year, the inability to compete is the biggest deterrent to staying on top in WWE. Reigns was diagnosed with an incarcerated hernia in September and immediately underwent surgery. Doctors estimated Reigns would be out for at least six weeks. In the meantime, Ambrose has stepped up in a big way. The former mouthpiece of The Shield has used his verbal skills, twisted sense of humor, and penchant for relentless brawling (particularly against his number one target, Rollins) to garner arguably the biggest fan reactions of anyone in the company. When Reigns is healthy enough to return to the ring, it’s entirely possible that fans will have decided that they simply like Ambrose better. If the increasingly vocal WWE fan base, comprised largely of males in the very loud 18-49 demographic, refuses to accept someone as a top fan favorite, that guy won’t be

a fan favorite for very long. Just ask Batista.

What can Reigns do to avoid this potential backlash? Well, he needs to stand out. One way to do that would be to intentionally not compete with Ambrose for fan adulation. He may never be as unpredictable or bitingly funny as his former teammate, but Reigns (like Liam Neeson in Taken) has a very specific set of skills. If Reigns focuses on being a sort of anti-Ambrose, he just might garner a different, yet equally valuable form of fan reaction. He’ll need a mouthpiece, though, and I know exactly who that should be.

As a “Paul Heyman guy,” Reigns won’t have to worry about what some perceive as his verbal shortcomings on his way up the WWE ladder. Brock Lesnar was an instant monster in 2002, and he barely had to say a word. When words needed to be said (read: screamed), Heyman took care of business for him. Heyman will be a great business advocate and vocal presence for Reigns, who will be learning from one of the best every week by simply being in Paul E.’s presence. Meanwhile, Reigns won’t have to worry about winning a popularity contest with the inherently likable, if abrasive, Ambrose. When the time comes for Reigns to get a major, one-on-one title shot, it won’t matter who the champion was. Lesnar, Cena, Ambrose, Bryan … he’ll be ready for the challenge, and fans will be along for the ride.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

I want you to rank the top 50 actors in
the world over the past 12 months.

Go.

Okay
… Matthew McConaughey won the Best Actor Emmy and he is amazing in True Detective, so maybe he gets the top spot.
Brian Cranston earned another Emmy for his magnificent work as Walter White in Breaking Bad, so maybe he earns the number-two
spot.

Now what? For the purpose of this
exercise, we’re omitting women (they’ll get their turn next issue), so who’s
number three? Is it the star of the biggest summer blockbuster (Chris Pratt
from Guardians
Of The Galaxy?) Is it a
proven commodity, like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kevin Spacey? Is it a feature film
star, a television star, or someone from Broadway (or off-Broadway, for that
matter)?

Don’t
forget—we’re looking at the world here. Anyone stand out in Bollywood this
year? Who has been doing The Bard the most justice in Merry Olde England?

Go
ahead … try to make your list of 50, being sure to consider standouts in
regional/community theater, supporting characters in sitcoms, and Hollywood
megastars.Now go ahead and expand
your list to the top 500.

This
is, essentially, what we do each year with the “PWI 500.”

It’s
not an easy task; after all, we’re comparing many different kinds of
wrestlers—good guys and bad guys, big guys and little guys, MMA-styled
submission machines and Mr. Juicy. But we believe the “PWI 500” is a valuable exercise. Sure,
it’s great to finish in the top 10, but there are also hundreds of guys
competing throughout the independent circuit hoping to get recognition and a
60-word blurb as a reward all of the sacrifices they have made—weekends
traveling long distances for little pay, time away from their families, and
aches and pains that sometimes keep them awake at night, wondering why they’re
doing it.

We
endeavor to make the “500” as objective as possible by adhering as closely as
possible to our criteria. We consider accomplishments during the designated evaluation
period, title success, activity, and quality of opposition.Like the exercise with actors, we
evaluate wrestlers from different countries, different styles (or genres), and
different roles within their own company.

One
of my biggest pet peeves is when the “500” list is invariably posted online,
and message boards light up with comments like … Why was Wrestler X so low, how
can Wrestler Y be above Wrestler Z, etc. Generally speaking, if you pay
attention to the criteria as outlined in the introduction to the section, and
read the biographies, you’ll be able to see why we made the decisions we did.
We do wish people would at least understand our criteria and the time frame
we’re evaluating before passing judgment. People may disagree; we expect them to
disagree. If you could have sat in on our editorial team ranking meetings, you
would have heard plenty of disagreements amongst ourselves. It’s a good thing
we conducted our meeting via GoToMeeting. I might have taken a swing at Mike
Bessler at one point if he were in front of me.

I’m
not trying to make the “PWI 500” out to be a Herculean task.
It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s something we love to do, and something our
readers love to read, discuss, and debate. I just want to make sure
everyone—from our readers, to the wrestlers (those ranked and unranked), and
the anonymous Internet message board commentators—to know that we take this
project seriously.

The
actors exercise may give some general insight into the difficulties inherent in
what we do, but when all is said and done, we think our ranking accurately
reflects the top 500 wrestlers in the world over the past year.

Friday, August 8, 2014

I'm sure that a lot of wrestlers and fans will disagree with me on this but after working closely with victims of violence and abuse for many years -- the vast majority of whom were female -- I was pretty uncomfortable with how everything went down with Dixie's table spot at the end of it all.

I've interviewed Bully and Devon and corresponded with Tommy Dreamer while working on different projects. They're all nice guys and I'm sure they very were careful in how they executed the move. Dixie knew what she was getting into and she sold it well. But the sight of a large contingent of the male-dominated locker room demanding that Spud turn her over to the guys and the sound of the entire Manhattan Center (again, mostly men) calling for her blood was just way too unsettling for me. I get that it's a show. I know she did it willingly. I understand the angle and everything that went into it. It just left me feeling really, really bad.

Friday, April 11, 2014

The episode
of Raw following
WrestleMania is most always memorable, and Raw the night after WrestleMania 30 was
certainly no exception. The Shield lived up to their “Hounds Of Justice”
moniker by rescuing Daniel Bryan from actual injustice at the hands of
Triple-H. Cesaro hitched his wagon to Paul Heyman, a move that can only help
the “King Of Swing’s” already sizzling momentum. Perhaps every bit as important
as either of these things, though, was the large presence the NXT brand had on the show.

The April 7
edition of Raw
was notable for the appearances of two NXTstars: Paige (the first and, to
date, only NXTDivas
champion) and Alexander Rusev (with his valet, Lana, by his side).
Additionally, vignettes aired for Adam Rose and former NXTchamp Bo Dallas. Rusev dominated
Zack Ryder in his first televised singles match on the main roster. Rose and
Dallas’ vignettes were both well received. Paige made perhaps the biggest
impression of the pack, putting an end to AJ Lee’s nearly 300-day WWE Divas
title reign.

When AJ was
interrupted by the debuting Paige, a sizable portion of the live crowd seemed
to already be familiar with the self-proclaimed “Anti-Diva.” Sure, those in
attendance the night after WrestleMania tend to be a hip crowd. Maybe some of
those chanting for Paige had been following her since her days on the
independent circuit. Still, one can’t help but get the feeling that the
increased visibility of NXT (including its recent Arrival special) helped to
make her debut all the more newsworthy.

Broad
access to NXT programming, both through the WWE Network and Hulu, has fostered
an awareness of WWE’s developmental system, which would have previously been
unthinkable. Go ahead and watch the debuts of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and
Randy Orton. All three men were products of lengthy stints in WWE developmental
(at the time, quartered at Ohio Valley Wrestling). All three made a big impact
pretty quickly. Yet few fans seemed to have any idea who these men were when
they first appeared. In a sense, they had their work cut out for them. Thanks
to the weekly NXT broadcasts being available online, burgeoning stars like
Paige, Rusev, and Emma have already established loyal fan bases by the time
they get to compete on Raw or Smackdown.

Lest one
get the idea that NXT is merely a useful tool for young wrestlers, it’s also
important to consider that the brand is good for fans. The sort of wrestling on
NXT broadcasts is, for the time being anyway, markedly different than what we
see on Raw and Smackdown. It’s quirkier, with a diverse crop
of colorful characters that are learning to express themselves in new and
unusual ways. The in-ring action is often more vibrant and unpredictable. In
short, it is definitely an alternative to the other, more mainstream WWE
programming.

At the same
time, NXT might not remain a simple alternative for much longer. As more of its
stars make the leap to the main roster—Cesaro, The Wyatt Family, and The Shield
all cut their teeth at NXT—the tastes of fans change, and the norm shifts. Raw and Smackdown will continue to evolve to meet the
desires of fans. That’s how we have come to see someone like Daniel Bryan, who
hardly considered a career in WWE years ago, as one of the faces of the company
in 2014. It’s an exciting time for the company, as the new guard challenges the
old guard and encourages it to step up its game. Fans who want to see into the
future know where to look. WWE developmental has, for years now, been a window
into the future. It just so happens that millions of people can now peer
through that window on a weekly basis.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Wrestling’s biggest spectacle celebrates 30 years this
Sunday, when WrestleMania takes overthe Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fans can count on
the PWI team to be all over event, including with live Tweeting Sunday night
(@OfficialPWI) and the usual wall-to-wall coverage in the July issue (digital edition on sale May 1; print edition on sale May 27),
including our annual “Real Winners And Losers” feature. To kick things off, here are our staff predictions for
WrestleMania 30, courtesy of Publisher Stu Saks, Senior writers Dan Murphy and Al
Castle, and Contributing Writers Mike Bessler and Kevin McElvaney.

Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan or Triple-H:

Triple-Threat Match for the WWE World heavyweight championship

Saks: Bryan

Murphy: Bryan

Castle: Bryan

Bessler: Bryan

McElvaney: Bryan

Analysis: It’s unanimous. We envision WrestleMania 30 ending
much the same as most of you probably do: With 70,000 rabid New Orleans fans
thrusting their index figers skyward and greeting the new World champ with a
boisterous chant of “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Triple-H vs. Daniel Bryan: Winner gets added to the World
heavyweight title main event

Saks: Bryan

Murphy: Bryan

Castle: Bryan

Bessler: Bryan

McElvaney: Bryan

Analysis: Our unanimous picks for the title match pretty
much give away how we all think this match will conclude. That’s not to say it
will be easy for the leader of the “Yes Movement.” We expect the Authority to
put every obstacle possible in Bryan’s way to prevent him from coming out of
this match victorious, and for Bryan to conquer them all.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

Saks: Undertaker

Murphy: Undertaker

Castle: Undertaker

Bessler: Undertaker

McElvaney: Undertaker

Analysis: Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us 21 times,
shame on us. None of us are about to bet against the “Dead Man” extending his
revered WrestleMania winning streak to 22-0. And, frankly, WWE hasn’t done a
very good job convincing us that the former UFC heavyweight champ is even that much
of a threat. To be sure, we’ll see 'Taker go down for some convincing nearfalls
throughout the match, but we won’t buy it. Or, at least, we’ll try not to.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Saks: Wyatt

Murphy: Cena

Castle: Cena

Bessler: Cena

McElvaney: Wyatt

Analysis: Finally, something we can’t agree on. We’re leaning toward Cena getting the duke
here, if only to make up for slotting WWE’s biggest star in a mid-card match
at the biggest show of the year. But with fan favorites expected to triumph in
the night’s other big matches, this may be an opportunity to keep Wyatt’s
momentum going en route to an even higher-stakes rematch with Cena at next
month’s Extreme Rules event.

Andre the Giant Memorial 30-man battle royal

Saks: Big Show

Murphy: Sheamus

Castle: Hulk Hogan

Bessler: Big E

McElvaney: Big E

Analysis: With 30 possible outcomes, it’s not surprising we
couldn’t reach a consensus. But a couple of us are counting on WWE taking the
opportunity to shine the WrestleMania spotlight on Intercontinental champion
Big E. Despite WWE’s portrayal of the 7-foot Big Show as Andre’s heir apparent,
only one of us is picking him as the winner. And one of us thinking a battle
royal is just the right setting for Hulkamania to once again run wild, without
the "Hulkster" never having to leave his feet.

The Shield vs. The New Age Outlaws
& Kane

Saks: Shield

Murphy: Shield

Castle: Kane/Outlaws

Bessler: Kane/Outlaws

McElvaney: Shield

Analysis: By a narrow margin, we’re picking the “Hounds Of
Justice” to get the win over the veteran team. It’s worth noting that the
youngest member of the Authority team, Road Dogg, made his pro wrestling
debut the same year The Shield’s youngest member, Rollins, was born. So it’s
fair to say The Shield will have youth on their side.

14-Woman Vickie Guerrero Invitational Divas Championship Match

Saks: Natalya

Murphy: AJ Lee

Castle: Natalya

Bessler: Eva Marie

McElvaney: AJ Lee

Analysis: We’re pretty much split on whether AJ Lee will
continue her reign as the longest Divas champ in WWE history, or if the
sympathetic Natalya will realize her dream of recapturing the title at the
“Showcase Of The Immortals.” It will likely come down to what makes for more
compelling reality show fodder for Total Divas.

Analysis: Because the goal of the opening match at
WrestleMania is typically to get the fans in the arena and at home excited for
what’s ahead, we’re counting on the popular and energetic tag champs keeping
their belts in this, the pre-show match.